A/N:
Chapter 3, this is going well. I actually wanted this first part here and the parts slightly after to be part of the last chapter, but time constraints and sleepyness had prevented that. Now I realize that I'm not that quite thought out on the storyline I'm going to project, but I'm doing what I can.
I'll be doing abit of Nasu-research in my inbetweens. So like before, bear with my lack of knowledge.
Oh and please do review. I would like to know opinions and critiques.
Chapter 3 Blue, Red, and Black
"Servant Lancer. I, Servant Saber, shall be your opponent."
The azure maiden's voice is soft, yet bears a strong undertone. Its not often a woman bears a strong voice like hers, but then again, not often would one find women bearing armor of old and a sword of air.
The blue spearman before her can only widen his red eyes. His happy-go-lucky attitude long gone. He truly is in need of understanding. 'Of course. The least problematic one becomes the true problem. Should've killed him first.' His thoughts rage upon this discovery of a new opponent.
He wanted nothing more than to go back fighting the magus knight, at least that would've been an entertaining fight.
Once more he regrets playing dirty in his prior fight.
"Prepare yourself, Lancer. Here I come."
With her shout, The blonde-haired warrior, Saber, charges forward. Her hands shift to her right sight, the distortion of air still emanates from her hands. The lancer reacts, his spear set bisecting his body diagonally. He blocks the overhead strike from the blond, the night sky lights up from the steel on steel impact. The courtyard is filled with constant cries of steel.
Ikari and Shirou remain still, awe easily spotted across their faces and they could only watch the fight before them evolve into more masterful swings and thrusts. It is a single motion performance before them, the clash of steel orchestrating a symphony of death.
The blue lancer is cleaved from his shoulder diagonally to his waist.
Incorrect: His spear blunts off the blonde's distortion.
The blonde saber's gut is split.
Incorret: Her "sword" impedes the swipe with a downward stab.
A shunt from the blue spearman launches the blue swordswoman back a few lengths, but this seems to be go against the spearman for the swordswoman now charges in with her blade of air swinging far more rapidly. Multiple strikes. Raw power. Despite the woman's small stature, her blows are accurate and powerful. A smash from overhead leads into a thunderous rising strike.
It launches the spearman into the air.
Which is immediately corrected and lands without incident.
It had its affect however.
"Why hide your weapon you coward? What is it that you wield? Reveal it and fight like a true warrior!" The lancer barks, evidently he is quite agitated.
"My weapon? It maybe a lance, a sword, an axe, or even a club." Her curt response only seems to infuriate the lancer further.
Ikari saw Lancer's eyes were dangerously narrow, the azure spearman had been having a hard time against the Saber's weapon. Despite it being invisible, he had roughly estimated the weapon to be under six or seven feet. It being a lance was marked off his list along with a club seeing as she obviously has an edge to her weapon.
But then again, he already knew what weapon she wields.
The two azure warriors clash once more, spear meets air, distortion delfects thrusts, and spear blocks swipes.
it goes on and the two magi continue to watch. Each unable to tear their eyes from the battle. Shirou's world soley focused upon the blonde whereas his cousin watches the the meetings of steel and air. To Ikari, the fight itself is more important than the participants.
Though he can't deny that the blonde is attractive.
A demon-strength thrust knocks the azure knight back and she lands just past Ikari, her stature still of one that can go on for hours more.
The lancer, however appears to be in a trance. Eyes closed, he held an expression of deep thought. It was a brief expression as it shortly changed into one of disappointment.
"Well...Damn. Looks like my master is getting impatient. We will have to finish this now, eh Saber?" He is in a fairly relaxed position, slightly over ten or so feet away. Ikari sees 'Saber' right herself and fix on a stance. She prepares for whatever onslaught the lancer is preparing.
Ikari drags his eyes back toward the blue lancer. His azure back was to them and his spear was behind the body, bisecting him from his right shoulder down to his left abdomen. His head is to them, but his eyes are shut. What drew the most attention for Ikari is the spear itself. Dark red wisps of smoke begin to spiral around the spear from tip to end. It creates a terrible maelstrom around the red spear and truly gives it a frightening aura.
'Not aura...prana' Ikari corrects his thoughts as he identifies the entity that surrounds the weapon. 'He's going to use his noble phantasm?' His mind quickly searches its bank on his knowledge of crimson spears. There are many in that category, but he needs only one, and finding it is taking too long.
A dreadful aura envelopes the azure warrior and the two magi. A sinking feeling is shot through their spines.
Someone is going to die.
The blue lancer's eyes open wide, his face neutral, and his entire attention upon Saber. He charges forward, his spear ready obviously for a thrust. Saber stands at the ready, her blade rests at a fifty degree standard sword stance. She awaits her oponents move.
"GAE!-" The blue spearman shouts, Ikari's eyes widen.
'That narrows down to two spears! Either one will end this fight badly for her.' Ikari's thoughts rage in his head, his mind set upon an action. It would appear that the blonde swordswoman did not understand what was to happen.
His crest flares, his left hand throbs, and his sword shines white once more.
First stage: Apparition/ Summoning Unnecessary - Catalyst already in hand
Second stage: Reinforcement/ Forging Shape requirement = Dagger nine inches Material = Steel and Leather Process start
The white object in his hand shifts its outline from a sword of four feet length into a smaller outline of what can only be identified as a dagger of nine inches. A short blade is formed, four inches of a slight curved blade single edge. A spike from the blade's base juts from the from down over the hilt and ends just before contact with the end. This creates an improvised hand guard. The blade and hilt begin to dull from a pure white into a putrid black. The blade becomes a terrible grey whilst the hilt and its guard turn black.
The lancer draws closer, Saber remains still. Her mind ready to counter Lancer's attack. His spear is about to be thrust, that is what her experience tells her, her instincts percieve the attack to be at her low guard.
Final/Third stage: Enchantment/ Legend recreation Enchantment = ?
This is the most crucial stage.
Failure means the death of Saber
Success means Lancer's defeat
Red runes engrave themselves into the grey blade, an aura unfelt materializes around the dark and terrible dagger. Ikari must make his move. He will.
The lancer's thrust is low, Saber aims her distortion low. It is the right decision, it is Lancer's lost.
"BOLG!~" His shout changes the rules. Not the rules, the players. The sword of 'air' is still aimed downward, but the spear is no longer at the swordswoman's feet. It is now at her chest, more specifically, her heart.
Saber quickly withdraws her counter and forces her feet to kick backward, retreat in the face of certain death. She begins to raise her 'sword' in the path of the spear. She would never reach it, but she doesn't try.
Movement from her right stops her motions. She can see the wounded magus from before lunge at her, a dark dagger poised to slash her. No, not her, the spear.
'What can that weapon do against a noble phantasm?' her thoughts roam. Something she doesn't quite understand in the final moments of oncoming death. 'So early into the war and I am finished. Truly disgraceful.'
"Magus unknown! That whom is cursed of undying thirst, sate thy need. Reap my enemy's weapon of power. Drink! Krentel!"
Both Shirou and Saber watch as Ikari slashes down with his black dagger, which runes were now brightly glowing, upon the spears head.
The impossible has happened once more. The rules have changed once again.
A slight flash of light signifies contact and the black wips that spiral around the red spear suddenly explode outward. They pass through everyone harmlessly and return to the shadows of wence they came. The red spear grazes off to the right, just past the blonde swordsman.
Lancer was surprised, no bewildered, beyond all possible thought. A sure fire killing strike, disabled by a small dagger. Saber was in the same boat, she swore that she had fallen for the noble phantasm. She immediately raised her sword, just able to miss grazing Ikari's falling form.
For Ikari, things were slightly different. He had a slight momment of joy. He had quickly achieved a near-perfect flash forge and used the ever-thirsty noble phantasm, Krentel, and absorbed the prana that was needed for Gae Bolg's heart seeking strike to be complete.
Keyword being near, Krentel did its job of drinking all the prana from Gae Bolg, however Krentel is still created upon lesser materials than Gae Bolg, being a replica rather than the actual noble phantasm. So the momment Gae Bolg was drained, Krentel could only shatter. Shatter is putting it mildly as it actually exploded, shards ripping into Ikari's left hand and wrist.
Lancer quickly sees Saber preparing her 'sword' and pulls back his spear. Sliding the spear through his hands and reseting his footwork, he quickly brings his weapon up to block the distortion that is coming down upon him. The impact roots him still and he throws his left leg out.
He kicks the still falling form of Ikari into Saber and jumps back. He then leaps away further onto the top of one of the estate's walls. Saber spares Ikari a quick glance before stepping over him in preparation.
"Gae Bolg? Are you the hound of Ulster, Cu Chulainn?" Saber's voice belies awe and curiousity. Lancer snorts.
"To think my identity discovered so early. I would've thought the servant to be more of a hassle, turns out the kid is more so." He pauses slightly and quickly composes himself. "My master is truly a coward. Very well, I'll be retreating for now. If you wish to continue this fight, Saber, you need only follow me. You will die." With that, the blue spear leaps off into the shadows. Saber quickly charges after and leaps onto the wall.
Shirou finally snaps out of his stupor and rushs toward Ikari. He is met with a wave from the downed magus.
"Go after her! I'm alright. Stop her from doing something stupid." Shirou quickly stares as Ikari for a moment before setting after the azure warrior.
Ikari musters the strength to get back onto his feet. He slowly makes his way back into the Emiya estate.
Shirou quickly dashes through the damaged dinning room, making a near track-worthy stride over the table and through to the entrance hall. When he made it to the foyer, he could hear a screech of steel outside. He quickly dashes out the entrance, forgoing his shoes entirely.
He sprints out the door and his gut tells him to look right. His eyes catch the blonde warrior crossing 'blades' with the man in red back from the school. Despite having two blades at his disposal, it is evident that he is losing the fight. A few more slashes and his guard his open, a final overhead slash from the blonde comes down upon him. It cuts through his left shoulder into his center. The warrior in red will die.
"ARCHER DISPERSE!" A girl also in red near the fight calls out. The momment her command left her lips, the man in red fades into nothingness in a blink of an eye. The blonde warrior stops her 'blade' short of clashing with the street and lines up her weapon toward the lone girl. She charges.
"Yamete!"
Saber feels a strong pull and her 'blade' stops a foot short of skewering the girl in red. Her gaze shoots back towards the redhead magus from before. Her eyes solely focused upon his form, a angered expression clear on her face. Shirou felt an unknown fear drive up his spine, but could not grasp on to it.
'Cough'
Both Shirou and Saber turn to face the girl in red, whom Shirou now recognizes.
"Yo Emiya-kun, looks like I have you to thank for saving my life, eh." One Tohsaka Rin greets the redheaded boy with a wave. Her casual attitude being an attempt to hide the tension she had when she was under the belief her death was immenient.
"Tohsaka? Tohsaka-san w-w-what are you doing here?" Shirou asks as the girl approaches him with her black twin tails swaying slightly.
"Ano, Emiya-kun, are you not going to invite me in?"
The trio consisting of Shirou, Rin, and Saber make their way into the estate with latter remaining behind slightly. They are met with a slightly unnerving sight.
"Ohayo, gomen for the mess." A slightly bloody Ikari holding his left abdominal and cradling his left arm was leaning on a wall infront of the trio. An unnatural smile across his lips.
"You must be Tohsaka Rin, a pleasure to meet you." He smiles a bit wider. Rin's blue eyes were wide and she immediately slipped off her shoes before approaching the wounded magus. "How did this happen?" Her voice worry-filled, Ikari continues to smile. "It's nothing too serious, just alittle reminder." Shirou shakes his head before also approaching his cousin. "Ikari-san lets get you patched up."
Shirou shuffles Ikari back into the dinning room with both Tohsaka and Saber in tow. "Ne Emiya-kun, nice window to the yard?" The raven-haired girl directs toward the destroyed door. Ikari chuckles while Shirou groans. Shaking her head, Rin walks to the destroyed door, and with a wave of her hand, the pieces of the door outside flew back into their rightful places. What was a demolished wooden frame now becomes a full sliding door once more.
Shirou stands agape from such casual display of magecraft, the school's idol had just repaired the damage in an instant. 'She's in a whole other level than I am.' The boy thought as he watches the idol again comes to Ikari. This time she held her hand over his crimson left hand and watched the gashes begin to close. The blood remained as the wounds from the shattered noble replica become undone, some shards unearth themselves from his flesh before fading into dust. This caught the eye of Tohsaka, but she said nothing of it and continued to heal the wounds. Soon only red marks gave away that he had been hurt.
Tohsaka smiles at her work before promptly taking a seat at the dinning room's lone table. Shirou snaps out of his stupor and walks into the kitchen to make tea. The blue dressed Saber also kneels at the table and is shortly joined by Ikari.
"So, I know your name, but who, exactly, are you?" Rin asks as she leans onto the table with her right hand cradling her chin. "I am Emiya-kun's cousin, Kazehara Ikari, and I'm just visiting." A smile ever present. "Cousin? Didn't think Emiya-kun had any. Where are you from Kazehara-san?" "Kyoto, use to be close with Emiya-kun when we were smaller."
Shirou walks in with a tray filled with cups and a kettle. He sets the tray onto the table and pours everyone a cup. Rin takes her tea and chances a sip before closing her eyes. Composing herself, she opens her eyes and directs them toward Shirou.
"So Emiya-kun, thanks again for saving my life. Didn't think you would use up a command sigil for that." Shirou's eyebrow raises and Rin raises her left hand which sports two red cresent symbols on the back of her hand. Shirou then raises his own left hand and sees two triangular marks. The blonde warrior also sees this as she is sitting to the right of the lesser magus.
"I see, so that makes you my master then." Shirou turns to face the blonde. "I wasn't sure before. Until now, I still held a belief that he was my master." She says looking towards Ikari. He smiles before shaking his head after putting down his tea. "I'm just a magus who had lost against a spirit. Shirou summoned you." Rin raises her eyebrow at this and her eyes catch Shirou nodding on this comment.
"Hold on, you fought a servant?" The raven girl asks, eyes analytical
"If thats what that man in blue was, then yea. Didn't put up too much of a fight anyway." Ikari takes another sip of his tea.
"Still was able to nullify his noble phantasm. Thats more than enough." The blonde comments as she herself takes a sip. This causes Rin to gulp her tea, slightly singeing her throat, and fought the urge to cough. Rubbing her throat, she clears it and looks at Shirou.
"I didn't know you were a magus aswell Emiya-kun. You've must be pretty good if you've been hiding your pressence. I've figured you were normal like everyone else." A natural smile displayed across her lips. Shirou nervously sips more into his tea as he thought about wording his answer. However, Ikari did it for him.
"Emiya-kun isn't a good magus, he's actually pretty bad." Shirou snorts his tea and coughed slightly. He glares at Ikari, whom only shrugged his shoulders. "Not that I'm any better, I'm more of a fighter than a magus anyway." Rin looks toward Shirou for confirmation and blanches when he nods.
"So this pressence of yours is what it is unhinderd?" again another nod. Rin pinches the bridge of her nose. 'I was almost killed by a third-rate magus, that speaks volumes of my abilities' Sensing a dreadful aura about, Ikari quickly refills Rin's cup.
Catching her attention, Rin glances back at Ikari.
"So you are here to visit Emiya-kun? Why haven't you given notice that you were coming onto my land? I am the sole Tohsaka overwatch of Fuyuki city. There is a punishment for treading across my land unannounced." A glint is almost visible in her eyes.
"I did send word. A week prior to my arrival, I sent a letter of my intent and purpose alongside a compromise. I also called the day I came into Japan to affirm that I was coming. Did you not recieve them?"
Rin froze, she remembered ignoring phone calls earlier that week and hadn't checked her mail in awhile. A snort drew everyone's attention, but no one, but Rin knew the source.
'I knew I should've read those letters.'
Composing herself, she smiles a sly smirk. "Gomenasai Kazehara-san, but it must've slipped my notice." She turns to Shirou. "Emiya-kun, I suppose you are a participant in the Grail War?" Shirou matches her look and was absolutely confused.
"What war? There's a war? In Fuyuki?" Rin could only shake her head.
"You don't know? How did you summon a servant without knowing?" She had placed both hands on the table propping up her height slightly.
"I don't even know how I even did that. She just came out of a light from nowhere." Shirou was beginning to get nervous.
"So you know nothing about the Holy Grail War?" A shake of the head "How about you?" Ikari also shakes his head, this was news to him. Rin let out a breath of exasperation before recomposing herself.
"Well then, lets go." She stands up. "Go? Go where? Tonight?" Shirou asks as he also makes to his feet. The blonde warrior also rises to her feet. "I'm going to take you to the church, this war's mediator will bring you up to speed." She begins to walk to the front door, motioning for Shirou to come along.
"Ne Tohsaka-san, is it really a smart idea to head out?" The twin-tailed girl turns on her heel and sees that Ikari remains seated at the table, tea still being sipped. "You say there's a war going about, right? Then I believe it would be better off to stay in. If there are more like the man in blue from before, I don't know if I can pull off another fight like that." Rin continues to look at Ikari.
Shirou was crowded into his thoughts. If they go out, would they find a worse enemy than that 'Lancer'? Ikari had fought and lost against one and without his help, the blonde warrior would've also fallen to the man in blue. If there would be stronger enemies than that, they wouldn't be able survive past the night. It would be for the best to stay in.
"Actually, I would prefer that option Tohsaka-san." Rin turns towards Shirou and sighs. She had a two to one vote and she had been overruled.
"You happen to be knowledgable about this war Tohsaka-san, perhaps you can summarize whatever Emiya-kun and myself have gotten caught up in?" Rin took her seat at the table once more, followed shortly by both Shirou and the blonde. "If it's too troublesome, perhaps I could interest you in my research?" That got the raven magus perked up as she notes Ikari holding up a black notebook, generic in all but symbolism.
"Kazehara-san, what do you have in that notebook?" Shirou asks.
Tohsaka Rin told the two magus what she knew of the Holy Grail War. Seven masters summon seven servants or Heroic Spirits. These masters compete against one another in life or death conflicts with their respective servants to be the last one standing to achieve the ultimate prize.
"Putting it simply? My workshop."
The Holy Grail. A magical artifact gifted with one true ability. To grant any wish the rightful victor choses.
"Your workshop? Why would you let Tohsaka-san read it?"
Shortly after summarizing what she knew, Tohsaka decided to take a gander into the notebook. Immediately she had figured out the notebook's deception. It was blank, the pages all blank, but she saw through it. Ikari had allowed her to see a few pages of magecraft research he had come across in his life and only those. The necessary information would flood into the pages and she would begin to read into each spell with vigor that Shirou has never seen from the school idol.
"She can't read everything in it, only what I allow her to read. Besides, she could make more sense out of some of those spells than I could."
Tohsaka Rin had left the Emiya household despite both male's objections, saying that her own servant would be able to get her home safely. She had also informed Shirou that the next time that the two met, they were to be enemies.
"Thats amazing Kazehara-san." Shirou continues to look at his cousin before turning towards the elephant in the room, the blonde warrior.
Turning to the girl in blue and grey armor, Shirou begins to fiddle with his cup of tea.
"Like before, you are my master. I am servant Saber, I've come from the void known as the throne of heroes to become your sword, master. I pledge my loyalty to you and promise to win this war." She says with much conviction. Shirou could only nod his head for he is speechless.
"Ah, well this is Shirou and I'm Ikari. It is nice to meet you and I'm sure Shirou feels the same." A genuine smile plastered on his face. He pulls out his cellphone from his jacket and flips the screen, he shows it to Shirou whom confirms that its now midnight.
A short argument about sleeping arangements consisting of both Shirou and Saber started shortly after Shirou announced his intent to sleep. After a few heated words and smart retorts, Saber agrees to sleep into a connecting room with Shirou.
Ikari doesn't turn in for another few hours. He had taken notice upon his arrival the barrier that surrounds the Emiya estate and had finally decided to make some adjustments.
In the early hours of the next day, he made his way into his self-claimed room and plops down on to the futon.
"I'll let Emiya-kun have breakfast..." Are the last words before drifting off.
Chapter end.
A/N:
Arisen! Arisen! You've been neglecting your duties!
Shut up! I knew naming you Tohsaka Rin wasn't going to help me remember to write.
As you can see, I've been alittle distracted by the new game, Dragon's Dogma. It is FREAKING AWESOME!. Loving it so far and so totallly called a Fate Stay Night character being in the top 5 pawns. GO SABER!
I may have rushed the ending of this chapter a bit and I didn't go as far as I wanted. Finding it alittle hard to maintain the writing sessions and my outlining isn't going to well past a point. I'll make do with what I can and hope to correct as I go.
I NEED REVIEWS. I thank Lenkish for his review and still planning out how I'm going to do my little twists to this thing.
Also, would my OC's abilities happen to already exist other than Shirou's projection being a possibility.
Flash Forging is what it is going to be called for now until I can think of a better name.
Anyway, I'm gonna get started on Chapter 4.